Porting A Number
What Is Fax Number Porting, And Why Would You Need It?
Porting a fax number means transferring an existing fax number in to a new provider, or porting out a fax number to a telecom or another fax provider.
Why would you want to port a number? If you have an existing fax number that’s printed on marketing materials and that customers or other businesses already know, it makes sense to keep that number. Likewise, it would make sense to take your existing number with you, should you switch providers.
Porting A Number Into A Fax Service
Most fax companies make this an easy process, and some even provide it for free. Among providers that charge a fee, many will offer a discount if you’re looking at a large number (more than 50, for instance) of ports.
Typically, in order to port an existing number into a service, you must first verify that the number is eligible for transfer, and that transferring the number won’t affect other services or contractual agreements you have with your current provider.
If you are able to port your current number, you would then sign up for service with the online provider you’re interested in and contact the provider to let them know you’d like to port a number in. You’ll need to fill out a request form, and then the new provider will handle the transfer for you.
Porting A Number Out Of A Fax Service
Porting out a number can be more complicated. While some fax companies have a policy that a number belongs to a customer and they may do with it as they please, others say the exact opposite. Fax providers owned by j2 Global – which include major brands like eFax, MetroFax, MyFax, TrustFax, RapidFax, Send2Fax, and Fax.com – fall under the latter category. Providers owned by j2 Global expressly prohibit the transfer of a number assigned to you to another provider. If you try anyway, you may be subject to a $500 fee.
There is an exception to the non-porting policy: if you ported in a number, it is yours to port out as well. And if your provider is a traditional phone company of VoIP service, you should also be able to port your number out relatively easily.
Typically porting out a number is similar to porting one in: keeping your service active while you complete the transfer, you would request a letter of agreement from the new provider, which will then contact the current provider. Once portability is verified, the new provider will make the switch.
image via Creative Commons
